Wipe container

ABSTRACT

A wipe container that includes a cover member that has a cavity, at least one wipe received in the cavity of the cover member, a base member that has a fluid reservoir, and a partition that is disposed between the cover and base members. The cover member, the base member, and the partition are sealed together to create a perimeter seal. The partition creates a barrier between the wipe on one side and cleaner on the other side. The container can be introduced into a clean room. Just prior to use, the partition is split open so that the cleaner mixes with water on the wipes.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/072,832, filed Oct. 30, 2014, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for holding one or morewipes saturated with a cleaning agent and the container being suitablefor dispensing the wipes in a clean room environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A clean room environment is a room designed, maintained, and controlledto prevent particle and microbiological contamination from entering orresiding in products that will be manufactured in the controlledenvironment. There are different levels of cleanliness in clean rooms,generally in the range of a ISO 5, Grade A, Class 100 room (i.e., a roomhaving 100 particles of 0.5 micron and larger, per cubic foot of air),to a ISO 8, Grade D, Class 100,000 clean room. Clean rooms are used fora variety of purposes, including to manufacture pharmaceutical productsand electronics, such as semiconductors. Clean rooms have to maintain ahigh level of cleanliness, or risk large financial losses. If a productbeing developed or manufactured in a clean room becomes contaminated,the entire product in the clean room must often be discarded.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) requires firms to assurethat every element of the manufacturing environment and manufacturingprocess are proven to be acceptable to FDA requirements and industrystandards. The FDA requires firms to operate in accordance with CurrentGood Manufacturing Practices (CGMP). To do this, firms are required toassure that products, personnel, training, ingredients, procedures andsystems used in the manufacture of a drug product have undergonestringent testing. In light of the strict standards that clean roomsmust satisfy, companies are very reluctant to introduce new productsinto their clean rooms that have not been extensively tested and provenreliable.

It would not be acceptable if the manufacturing method resulted in aproduct that might contaminate a clean room. Certain chemicals are usedinside a clean room to disinfect the clean room. However, some chemicalscan lose effectiveness or become unstable after a short period of time(e.g., 20-30 days) once the chemical is mixed or when the chemical issaturated onto a wipe. Consequently, those chemical compositions need tobe diluted just prior to use or introduced onto a wipe just prior touse. Yet, it is particularly difficult and time-consuming to dilutechemical compositions and/or to saturate a wipe inside a clean roombecause of possible contamination of the chemicals by the environmentand because the user is outfitted in sterile garments and gloves.

Controlled or clean environments, such as hoods, clean rooms orfacilities have strict requirements for cleanliness, particularlyrequiring surfaces to be cleaned often and on a consistent basis.Conventional packaged saturated wipes may be not sufficiently sterilefor a clean room or are easily contaminated because of design of thepackage and/or because the chemical interacts with the structure of thewipe or other chemicals on the wipe. Also the wipes in conventionalpackages often deteriorate or lose the potency of the activeingredient(s) of the cleaning agent. Additionally, some cleaners aremixed with water just prior to use inside clean room, which istime-consuming and labor-intensive. Cleaners also have a short shelflife after mixing; and the exact amount of water to cleaner must beprecisely measured. Many sanitizers, disinfectants and sporicides usedin saturated wipes have the inability to be mixed with water forextended time periods. This stability problem relates to the degradationof the active ingredients over time in the solution and is furthercomplicated by the presence of the wiping material, wiping materialadditives and air in the package.

Examples of conventional wipes containers include U.S. Pat. Nos.8,038,000; 7,850,041; 7,681,725; 7,357,248; 6,866,145; 6,827,080;6,001,187; 5,988,371; and 5,814,159, the subject matter of each of whichis herein incorporated by reference.

Therefore, a need exists for a sterile wipe container that reducesdeterioration of the wipes and associated cleaning agent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention may provide a wipe container thatincludes a cover member that has a cavity, at least one wipe received inthe cavity of the cover member, a base member has a fluid reservoir, anda partition is disposed between the cover and base members, wherein thecover member, the base member, and the partition are sealed together tocreate a perimeter seal.

The present invention also may a wipe container configured and suitablefor use in a clean room that comprises, a cover member that has acavity, at least one wipe received in the cavity, a base member that hasa fluid reservoir and at least one puncture member, and a partitiondisposed between the cover and base members. The partition is formed ofa membrane that can be split open by the at least one puncture member ofthe base member. At least one fill port is in fluid communication withthe fluid reservoir. Wherein the cover and the base members are sealedtogether to create a perimeter seal and the at least one fill port isdisposed in the perimeter seal.

The present invention may further provide a method of loading a wipecontainer that comprises the steps of providing a container that has acover member and a base member; loading at least one wipe into a cavityof the cover member of the container; sealing a partition between thecover and base members of the container creating a seal around aperimeter of the container; and filling a reservoir in the base memberof the container with a fluid through at least one fill port in theseal.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken inconjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodimentof the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a wipe container in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the wipe container illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the wipe container illustratedin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the wipe container illustrated in FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the wipe container illustrated inFIG. 1, showing the container prior to puncture of a partition;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wipe container illustrated inFIG. 5, showing the container after puncture of a partition;

FIG. 7A is a perspective top view of a wipe container in accordance withan alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7B is a perspective bottom view of the wipe container illustratedin FIG. 7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a wipe container or pack that isdesigned to hold a cleaning agent that can be easily applied to the wipeor wipes in the container with the appropriate amount of cleaning agent.In a preferred embodiment, the container is used in a clean room orfacility where extreme cleanliness is a necessity. The container of thepresent invention is configured to isolate the wipes and the cleaningagent until needed for cleaning, thereby reducing degradation of boththe wipes and the cleaning agent. This is particularly useful when thecleaning agent degrades when it is mixed with the wipes, chemicals inthe wipes, or water in the wipes. By keeping the cleaning agent and thewipes separated, it is possible to maintain the effectiveness of thecleaning agent until it is ready to be used.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the container 100 of the present inventiongenerally includes a cover member 102 sealed to a base member 104 and apartition 106 therebetween. The partition 106 is preferably a membranethat is fluid impregnable. The cover member 102 holds one or more wipes110 and the base member 104 holds a cleaning agent or fluid 120 (FIG.5). The container 100 preferably incorporates one or more puncturemembers 130A and 130B to split the partition 106 open (preferably alonga line) when desired, thereby allowing the cleaning agent or fluid 120to combine with the wipes 110. The opening of the partition 106 does notcreate any particles that might enter the fluid 120 or wipes 110 orotherwise contaminate the fluid 120 and/or wipes 110. The cover 102 andbase 104 can be formed of a polypropylene (PP) or high densitypolyethylene (PE) material, or other suitable materials.

The cover member 102 with one or more sides and a top, defines a cavity140 (FIG. 5), sized to hold the one or more wipes 110. The wipes 110 maybe any conventional wipe suitable for cleaning surfaces, such as acloth, polyester, nylon, or the like fabric. The wipes 110 may be dry,or treated with standard wipe chemicals, or presaturated with water todilute the fluid 120 once mixed, or treated with chemicals to be mixedor combined with the fluid 120. A flange 142 is provided around theperimeter of the cover member 102 for sealing to the base member 104 andextends outward. One or more tabs 144 extend from at least one side ofthe perimeter flange 142, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The cover member ispreferably provided with a dispensing slot or opening 146 for retrievaland dispensing of the wipes 110. An adhesive cover sheet 148 is providedover the dispensing slot 146, which can be peeled off to dispense thewipes 110. The sheet 148 seals to the top surface of the cover member102 about the dispensing slot or opening 146.

The base member 104 has one or more sides and a bottom, and includes areservoir 150 (FIGS. 3 and 5), for holding the cleaning fluid 120. Thecleaning fluid 120 may be any cleaning agent or solution that issuitable for cleaning contaminants, particularly contaminants found in aclean room. For example, the cleaning fluid 120 may be hydrogenperoxide, phenol, paracetic acid/hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium,bleach, peroxide, surfactant based cleaners, and thiosulfate, or anychemical that has the inability to remain stable when mixed with wateror a second chemical agent, or the like, though certain agents might beless suitable or require a special wiper, such as chlorine (which maybond to the wiper) and bleach (which may degrade a polyester wiper).Like the cover member 102, the base member 104 includes a perimeterflange 152 with one or more tabs 154 extending from a side thereof.

The one or more puncture members 130A and 130B are located on the basemember 104 preferably between the reservoir 150 and the perimeter flange152. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the puncture members 130A and 130Bare respectively positioned near each end of the container and towardone side and adjacent to the partition 106. The puncture members 130Aand 130B are inset with respect to the reservoir 150, so users canreadily locate the puncture members with their fingers. Each puncturemember 130A and 130B is formed of a flexible material, such as plastic,and is shaped similar to a convex dome before activation (FIG. 5). Thepuncture member 130 has a dome portion 132 and a puncture portion 134located at center of the dome portion 132. The puncture portion 134extends outward from the dome portion 132 (upward in embodiment of FIG.5). The puncture portion 134 can be sharp or rounded. Each puncturemember 130A and 130B may be activated by pushing the dome portion 132from the base member side toward the cover member side (upward inembodiment of FIG. 5). This pushes the puncture portion 134 outward. Inthe ready state (FIG. 5), the dome portion 132 is inverted and thepuncture portion 134 is receded; in the activated state (FIG. 6), thedome portion 132 and the puncture portion 134 are pushed outward untilthe puncture portion extends through and pierces the partition 106, asseen in FIG. 6.

The partition 106 is preferably taut such that the puncture members 130Aand 130B slice, pierce or split open the partition 106 along the lengthof the container 100 for substantially the entire distance between thepuncture member 130A and the second puncture member 130B, therebyallowing the fluid 120 in the reservoir 150 to enter the cavity 140 andcombine with the wipes 110 and/or any water that is on the wipes 110 orin the cavity 140. By having two puncture members, the partition 106 canbe split the entire length between them. The partition 106 material andthe puncture members 130 do not create any particles of the partition106 that could contaminate the fluid 120 and/or wipes 110. The user maypush both puncture members 130A and 130B at the same time. A tri-leggedslot 162 (FIGS. 2 and 4) is be added to each puncture portion 134 tofacilitate activation and pushing through of the dome portion 132 sothat puncture portion 134 can pop out. The partition 106 is preferablyformed of any fluid impregnable material, such as foil, polyethylenefilm, polypropylene film, or the like, that can be split open, and thatalso resists corrosion from the cleaning fluid 120.

In one embodiment, the wipes can be treated with sodium thiosulfate andthe cleaning fluid 120 is bleach. When the bleach is combined with thewipes, the sodium thiosulfate should be sufficient to bring the pH toabout 1-3, and more preferably to about 2. At this pH, the bleach is amore efficient cleaning agent. Notably, however, the bleach at a 2 pHdoes not last very long, whereas bleach at a higher pH (such as about11-12) has a longer shelf life (but is less effective as a cleaningagent). Thus, the invention is able to provide the bleach wipe at lowerpH levels that are more effective for cleaning purposes, at a long shelflife since the bleach is not mixed with the acid until it is ready to beused.

In another embodiment, the wipes are dry or treated with water and thecleaning fluid 120 is phenol, hydrogen peroxide, or paraceticacid/hydrogen peroxide. Here, the dry or water containing wipes maycontain chemicals that are used in the normal treatment of the wipes,e.g. chemicals used to soften the wipes.

To load the container 100, the wipes 110 are loaded into the cavity 140of the cover member 102. The cover member 102, partition 106, and basemember 104 are then sealed together at the perimeter thereof such thatthe perimeter flanges 142 and 152 and the perimeter of the partition 106are sealed together and the corresponding tabs 144 and 154. Any sealingmethod may be used, such as heat sealing. The sealing step separates thereservoir 150 and the cavity 140 (by the partition 106), and extends theshelf life of the wipes and fluid. The partition 106 completely sealsthe cavity 140 from the reservoir 150 so that the wipe 110 (dry orpresaturated) and the cleaning fluid 120 cannot mix and the cleaningfluid 120 cannot enter the cavity 140. The seal also defines an insideand outside of the container 100. The cavity 140, reservoir 150, wipes110, fluid 120 (when filled), and preferably the puncture member 130,are located inside the container 100 (and perimeter seal). The ports 170allow fluid to be introduced into (and air or fluid to be removed from,as needed) the cavity 140 and/or reservoir 150 from outside thecontainer 100. In a preferred embodiment, the flange 142, the flange152, and the partition 106 are aligned and sealed togethersimultaneously. The container is then sterilized by any known method,such as irradiation.

Following irradiation, the cleaning fluid 120 can then loaded into thecontainer 100 through one or more fill ports 170 provided in the seal ofthe container 100, preferably at the tabs 144 and 154. The ports 170 maybe formed by channels in the tabs. Each port 170 is an opening thatextends the entire length of tab 144 and tabs 154 to allow fluid to beintruded into the cavity 140 and reservoir 150 from the outside. Thus,the ports 170 extend from inside the perimeter seal to outside theperimeter seal. In an alternative embodiment, the ports 170 can beseparate tubes that are placed in the tab channels and extend into thecavity 140 and reservoir 150. The ports 170 enable a fluid to beintroduced into the cavity 140 and/or reservoir 150 (which are insidethe perimeter seal and the container) from an external source locatedoutside the perimeter seal and container. The cleaning fluid 120 ispreferably aseptically filled into the reservoir 150 through the ports170. For instance, a fluid filter may be provided, such as 0.22 micronfilter, to remove particulates and bacteria and spores greater in sizein the chemical composition, and then the fluid 120 is filled intoreservoir 150. The container can be filled through one of the ports 170and vented through another.

Once the reservoir 150 is filled with the precise amount of cleaningfluid 120 for the wipes 110, the fill ports 170 are closed and sealed.If the wipes 110 are to be saturated with water or if water (or otherdiluents or chemicals) are to be placed into the cavity 140 with thewipes 110, that can be done at the same time or before/after the fluid120 is filled into the reservoir 150 through one of the ports 170. Forinstance, one port 170 can lead into the cavity 140 and one port 170 canlead into the reservoir 150; or, the ports 170 can each lead to thecavity 140 and reservoir 150, separated by the partition 106. Or, thewater can be placed into the cavity 140 at the same time the wipes 110are loaded into the cavity 140.

In one embodiment, a closure valve or connector can be placed at the endof the ports 170 to operate as a closure. In this manner, the connectorscan be opened and closed to open/close the ports 170. The cavity 140 andreservoir 150 can be filled before or after irradiation. The ports 170can be closed at all times, except when being used to fill the cavity140 and reservoir 150. The two halves can be formed, then tubular ports170 placed in each half, the wipers inserted, and the membrane stretchedbetween the two halves (i.e., placed between the two halves tightly (notloosely) so the piercing devices can cut it or otherwise create a holeor slit), and the entire package sealed together. Alternatively, themembrane and one port can be partially sealed together to create thechemical halve and the wipes placed into the other halve, which is thenbrought together and sealed. Once the package is fully assembled, theliquids can be filled into the cavity 140 and reservoir 150simultaneously or sequentially, either before or after irradiation. Oncethe fluid is filled into the cavity 140 and reservoir, the connector canbe closed or removed and the port 170 sealed closed. Any suitableconnector can be utilized, such as the SPS 4 offered by IPN.

The container 100 can be sterilized either before or after the fluid 120is loaded. If the cleaning fluid 120 can be irradiated, then the fluid120 is loaded, heat sealed and irradiated. If the cleaning fluid 120cannot be irradiated, then the container 100 is irradiated and thenaseptically filled following irradiation.

In operation, the assembled container 100 is ready for use. Thecontainer 100 can be double-bagged in polypropylene bags and heat sealedso that they can be introduced into a controlled environment. Thepuncture members 130A and 130B are in the ready state. To use thecontainer 100 and the wipes 110, the puncture members 130 are activatedby the user pushing them from outside the base member 104 through thepartition 106 to allow the wipes 110 to be saturated by the cleaningfluid 120. It is preferable that the wipes 110 and the fluid 120 sit fora period of time, such as five minutes, to allow the cleaning fluid 120to completely saturate the wipes 110 (and mix with any water in thecavity) without dry spots on the wipes. Once saturated with the fluid120, the wipes 110 are ready for use and may be dispensed through theopening 146 in the cover member 102 after removing the adhesive sheet148. The container is safe to bring into or have in a clean room. Thecontainer 100 can be punctured inside the clean room and is ready to usewithout having to manually mix any fluid or saturate the wipes insidethe clean room.

The container may be doubled bagged before bringing the container intothe clean room, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,900 to Vellutato,herein incorporated by reference, thereby extending the life of thecleaning agent. That is the container can be encased in a first sealinglayer, forming a first enclosure, and the first enclosure can be encasesin a second sealing layer, forming a second enclosure. Both the firstand second sealing layers provide for hermetic sealing.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention. The container 200 of FIGS. 7A and 7B is similar to thecontainer 100, except that the container 200 holds only a single wipe.Like the first embodiment, the container 200 includes a cover member 202with a dispensing opening 246 for the wipes and a base member 204 with areservoir 250 for the cleaning fluid. The base member 204 includes oneor more puncture members 230 similar to the puncture members 106 of thefirst embodiment for slicing open a partition between the cover and thebase members 202 and 204. One or more fluid ports 270A and 270B may beprovided in the perimeter seal of the container 200 like the container100 of the first embodiment. Once the port 270A communicates with andallows first fluid (such as water) to be filled into the cover cavityand other port 270B communicates only with and allows second fluid (suchas a cleaning chemical composition) to be filled into the reservoir.

It is noted that the invention has been described as for use in acontrolled environment such as a clean room. However, the invention neednot be used in a controlled environment and need not be packaged(bagged) for use in a controlled environment. For instance, theinvention can be utilized for bleach as the cleaning fluid 120 and anacid provided on or with the wipe so that bleach retains itseffectiveness and the acid lowers the pH of the bleach just prior to useso that the bleach is more effective as a cleaning agent.

In addition, while a port 170 is shown and described as leading intoeach of the cavity 140 and the reservoir 150, one or both ports 170 neednot be provided. For instance, a fluid 120 can be filled in the cavity140 and/or the reservoir 150 before it is sealed, so that a port is notneeded. Still further, while the puncture member is shown and described,other suitable configurations can be provided. For instance, thepuncture member need not be positioned on the base member 104, and othersuitable puncturing or slicing devices can be utilized.

In addition, while the container is shown and described as having a basemember, the base member can be a separate container that is in fluidcommunication with the cover. Accordingly, the invention can have twocontainers, one that retains the wipes (with or without water) and onethat retains the cleaning fluid. A fluid-impermeable partition isprovided between the two containers and split by the user actuating apuncture member to allow fluid to pass between the two containers.

While particular embodiments have been chosen to illustrate theinvention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications can be made therein without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A wipe container, comprising: a cover member having a cavity; atleast one wipe received in said cavity of said cover member; a basemember having a fluid reservoir; a partition disposed between said covermember and base member, wherein said cover member, said base member, andsaid partition are sealed together at a perimeter, thereby creating aperimeter seal.
 2. A wipe container according to claim 1, wherein saidfluid reservoir holds a cleaning fluid.
 3. A wipe container according toclaim 2, wherein said cleaning fluid is peroxide.
 4. A wipe containeraccording to claim 1, wherein said partition is formed of a fluidimpregnable membrane whereby fluid in said fluid reservoir cannot passinto the cavity.
 5. A wipe container according to claim 4, wherein saidmembrane is one of foil, polyethylene, or polypropylene.
 6. A wipecontainer according to claim 1, further comprising at least one fillport disposed in said perimeter seal, said fill port being in fluidcommunication with said fluid reservoir.
 7. A wipe container accordingto claim 1, wherein said cover member includes a dispensing slot fordispensing said at least one wipe, said dispensing slot being remotefrom said reservoir.
 8. A wipe container according to claim 1, furthercomprising a puncture member disposed on said base member, said puncturemember is configured to penetrate said partition.
 9. A wipe container,comprising: a cover member having a cavity; at least one wipe receivedin said cavity of said cover member; a base member having a fluidreservoir and at least one puncture member; a partition disposed betweensaid cover and base members, said partition being formed of a membranethat can be split open by said at least one puncture member of said basemember; and at least one fill port in fluid communication with saidfluid reservoir, wherein said cover and said base members are sealedtogether to create a perimeter seal, wherein the cavity and fluidreservoir are inside the perimeter seal and said at least one fill portextends outside the perimeter seal.
 10. A wipe container of claim 9,wherein said fluid reservoir holds a cleaning fluid.
 11. A wipecontainer according to claim 10, wherein said cleaning fluid isperoxide.
 12. A wipe container according to claim 9, wherein saidmembrane is foil, polyethylene, or polypropylene.
 13. A wipe containeraccording to claim 9, wherein said cover member includes a dispensingslot for dispensing said at least one wipe.
 14. A wipe containeraccording to claim 9, wherein said puncture member is a flexible convexdome.
 15. A wipe container according to claim 9, further comprisinganother fill port in fluid communication in said fluid reservoir; andanother puncture member located in said base member.
 16. A wipecontainer according to claim 9, wherein said cavity of said cover memberholds a plurality of wipes.
 17. A method of loading a wipe container,comprising the steps of: providing a container having a cover member anda base member; loading at least one wipe into a cavity of the covermember of the container; sealing a partition between the cover and basemembers of the container creating a seal around a perimeter of thecontainer; and filling a reservoir in the base member of the containerwith a fluid through at least one fill port in the seal.
 18. The methodof claim 17, further comprising the step of sterilizing the container.19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of sealing thefill port.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of filling thereservoir includes aseptically filling the reservoir with the fluid. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the fluid is a cleaning fluid.
 22. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising the step of the step of sealingthe cover and base members includes heat sealing the cover and basemembers.
 23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step ofpre-saturating the at least one wipe.
 24. A wipe container, comprising:a first container having a cavity; at least one wipe received in saidcavity of said cover member; a second container having a fluidreservoir; and a fluid-impermeable partition disposed between said firstcontainer and second container so that fluid does not pass between thesecond container and the first container.
 25. The container of claim 24,further comprising a puncture member configured to puncture thefluid-impermeable partition to permit fluid to pass between the secondcontainer and the first container.